The 5 main differences between a residential park home and traditional property

What are the differences between a residential park home and a traditional property? There aren’t as many as you might think!

Topiary Park is a new and exclusive development of luxury park homes in Bidford on Avon, Warwickshire, showcasing park homes with gas central heating, double glazed windows, pitched roofs and fully fitted and furnished interiors.

A Topiary Park home looks and feels exactly the same as a conventional bungalow but the five main differences are as follows:

Construction

Carefully constructed off site by our tried and trusted park home manufacturers, park homes are later transported to their residential park sites. Park homes are timber framed then mounted on to a steel frame before an aesthetically pleasing exterior is attached which provides a durable, weatherproof finish. All park homes are built to British Standard regulations.

Cost

The cost of park homes usually compare very favourably against traditional housing in the same area, but vary according to the park home design as well as the location of the park home site. There are plenty of residential park homes sites to choose from in the UK , these range from around £100,000, to upwards of £500,000 in London, the south coast and other highly sought after locations.

One other consideration following the purchase is the site fee (or pitch fee) which must be paid in order to locate your home on the park site. The pitch fee varies from park to park and is for the right to keep the home on the park and the maintenance of the communal areas, roads, and electricity.

Council tax (normally Band A) is usually cheaper for a park home than a traditional property. This difference will particularly benefit those buyers who downsize from a larger, traditional property to a new park home.

Other costs may be slightly less than in traditional properties too. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is generally used on most parks as it is bought in bulk from suppliers and then piped to each home, and water is metered to each property along with gas and electric.

Restrictions

There are permanent residential park home sites that you can choose to live throughout the year which act the same as traditional properties – Topiary Park, for example, is a full time residential park with new park homes for sale. However, there are also park sites with different non residential licensing arrangements that do not allow you to live in your park home all year round. Therefore, you should always ensure the park you wish to live on is fully residential and in operating in compliance with UK residential law before purchasing. If you would like to know more about land usage restrictions feel free to contact us or our local council for more information.

Community

Many purchasers are attracted to park life because of the park rules restricting the age of people living on the park. Topiary Park is an over 45s residential park where you will be surrounded by like-minded neighbours, with similar interests at the same stage in their lives. Living in a park home lends itself to a safer, more tranquil, relaxed way of life.

All park home owners must abide by the rules and regulations in ‘The Written Statement’. You should ensure that you receive a copy of any park rules and are happy to abide by them when you buy your park home. As well as age, park rules may include pet and parking permissions or restrictions. Topiary Park is pet friendly and has allocated parking for each home which is able to be extended for additional vehicles.

Reselling

A maximum 10% commission is payable to the park by your buyer if you decide to sell your home. This commission reflects the value that the plot and the amenities of the park add to the resale value of the park home. Remember, financial investment is necessary to develop and maintain a residential park home site so a reasonable return on this investment is to be expected.

To recap, the main differences between a residential park home and a traditional property are:

Park homes are constructed off-site before being transported to the park site.

Park homes are usually in the lowest band for council tax and utility costs may be less.

Park homes are in a secure environment amongst a ready-made community.

Park home owners must abide by the rules and regulations in ‘The Written Statement’